Medieval Medicine Case Study

observe that it worked better than salves and ointments. Debridement of wounds could also hasten wound healing. In medieval medicine, alum brine, red copper, or bile removed dead or necrotic tissue from the wound and aided healing. The understanding of human anatomy and physiology was necessary and medieval doctors were aware of this. In 1106, King Baldwin I of Jerusalem received a severe wound and his doctors wanted to dissect a dead prisoner to understand the damage of the Kings wound. He refused to give permission for the dissection; however, he did allow them to dissect a bear. The dissection gave them the information they needed to treat the king and he recovered. The use of crossbows introduced new concerns

They sought cures for illnesses and antidotes for poisons. Certainly, they had a need for the patient’s unconsciousness during involved and lengthy surgical experimentation. Alchemist discovered a tree oil called Mandragoraclum from the fruit of the Mandrake was a powerful sleep inducer and could stop headaches if rubbed on the forehead. With active ingredients like henbane, hemlock, and opium, Dwale was another potent herbal anesthetic. Hugo of Lucca was one of many practitioners who experimented with anesthetic drugs. They experimented with inhalation and ingestion routes to deliver these

Practitioners have medicine a boost through experimentation. Medical men discovered new treatments that increased the chances of a positive prognosis. There were developments in medical technique and knowledge that decreased death and disability rates for military men. In contrast, there was not as much advancement in actual technology. There were no wonder drugs discovered and few life-saving devices invented. During the much of the Middle Ages, the medical and surgical establishments seemed to work and learn separately. Only later, did they benefit from combining their knowledge and experiments. This cooperation set the course for a furtherance of medical knowledge and technology for better treatment of returning warriors and society in the centuries to come. Medical men discovered new ways treatments that increased the chances of a positive prognosis. Militaries benefited from these new techniques because they decreased death and disability rates. Medieval medical advancements bridged the interval between the ancient scientists and modern